Detroit Coney Dog
A Detroit classic: a hot dog topped with meaty, beanless chili, yellow mustard and diced raw onion.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 40 min
- total
- 1 h
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Detroit’s Greek-owned coney islands, diners built specifically around this one dish, have served the coney dog since the 1910s. A beanless, finely textured chili sets it apart from a Southern-style chili dog made with coarser, chunkier meat.
The chili simmers low until every bit of liquid cooks away, leaving something closer to a thick sauce than a stew, which is what keeps the bun from turning to mush. Mustard and raw diced onion go on last, left uncooked so they stay sharp against the rich chili underneath.
Detroit Coney Dog is one of the best hot dogs from around the world.
method
Brown the ground beef in a saucepan over medium heat, breaking it into very fine crumbles with a spoon, for about 8 minutes.
Add the broth, tomato paste and all the spices, and stir well. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a loose, spoonable chili with no liquid pooling.
Boil or steam the hot dogs until hot through, and steam the buns briefly.
Nestle a hot dog in each bun.
Spoon a generous layer of the beanless chili over the top.
Finish with a stripe of yellow mustard and a scatter of diced white onion.
chef's tips
- The chili should be fine-textured, almost like a sauce rather than chunky, so break the beef down well while it browns.
- Simmer it low and slow until any liquid is gone; a loose, wet chili makes for a soggy bun.
- Onion goes on last and raw; it is meant to stay crunchy against the soft chili.